How to Show You Care: Nature Displays
“I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil. Once the emotions have been aroused - a sense of the beautiful, the excitement of the new and unknown, a feeling of sympathy, pity, admiration or love - then we wish for knowledge about the object of our emotional response. Once found, it has lasting meaning. It is more important to pave the way for the child to want to know than to put him on a diet of facts he is not ready to assimilate.
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I no doubt picked the idea up from someone else years ago, and you might already do this in your house. It couldn't be simpler. Just grab a tray or plate and designate it as your nature display. We always have one or two (periodically culled by Mom) around the house at any time, holding everything from acorns and rocks to feathers and mystery bones.
Imagine their muddy hands grasping a rock or funny leaf just found out in the yard. Running inside, they hold it up, anticipating you’ll be equally delighted. You kneel down and they tell you all about it. As they run off again they call back to make sure you save it!
So you put it on your little tray that always sits there on the dresser or bookshelf for all to see.
At the heart of the nature trays or displays is showing that we care about what matters to them, which is part of building long-term trust as parents. And from my experience, collecting bits and pieces of nature matters to children.
The Beauty of Nature Displays
-conveys our attention to what they care about
-causes us as parents to pause and actually see
-creates a landing spot for the nature treasures that might otherwise clutter the house
-provides natural, free decor
-teaches seasonality of various plants (What is available to display in winter, but not summer, and vice versa?)
How To
It couldn’t be easier. Grab a tray or plate, and that handful of acorns left on your kitchen counter, and get started.
If you have a magnifying glass, set it next to the tray for closer inspection!
This can also be a great spot to set out a few nature books. We've always loved a variety of fossil and plant books, including the gorgeous A Beauty Collected.
This post is a series going deeper into the heart behind my new picture book, MISS PRIM GOES WILD. Sharing the wonder of nature with my children over the years has been a true Joy of parenthood. It paves the way for connection to each other, and reflects the beauty of our Creator.
MISS PRIM GOES WILD
Grab it now from your favorite bookseller HERE!